Portable folding bed



C. D. MCDONALD.

PORTABLE FOLDING BED.

APPLICATION men OCT. 26, 1920.

.Patented Jan. 31,1922.

PORTAB E FOLDING BED.

rectum.

Specification of Letters Patent. P t t Jam 31 1922;

Application filed October 26, 1920. Serial No. 419,672. I I 1 To all whom it may concern. I

'Be it known that 1, CHARLES D. MCDON- ALD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of Washington, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Portable Folding Beds, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in portable folding beds and the object of my invention is to provide a bed which may be easily and rapidly assembled anddisase and durable, and which may be manufac tured at a minimum cost. V

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds the invention consists: of the novel construction, adaptation, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed. i

I accomplish these objects by devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherejn Figure 1 is a top plan view of a bed em bodying the features of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of same.

Fig. 3 is a view in endelevation of the bed taken from the foot end thereof.

Fig; 4 is a view in side elevation of a transverse supporting member.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view in cross section taken on a broken line 5, 5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view in perspective of the corner joints in disassembled relation.

Referring to the drawings, throughout which like reference numerals designate like parts, the numerals 10 and 11 designate two spaced apart side members which are con nected in alignment by hinges 12 to similar but shorter side members 13 and 14: respectively.- The members 10 and 13 when extended constitute one side rail and the members 11 and 14 constitute the other. side rail of-thebed. A head. member 15 is transversely disposed at the head of the bedand a similar foot member 16 is disposed atthe foot-of the bed.

The portion of the bed upon the bodies 10f the occupants are supportedis preferably formed of a rectangular piece of tie m was. 1

CHARLES DMCDONALD, or SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

canvas 17 the head end of which is secured around a transverse wire rod l8 which wire rod is yieldingly secured to the. headfmem ber 15 by equi-distantly spaced spiral springs 19, the inner ends of which are se cured to the said rod-18. The opposite or outer ends of the said springs are secured to screw eyes 20 which are screwed into the head member 15. r

The footend of the said canvas is secured around a transverse take up member 21 the flanged ends of whichrest upon the side members 13 and 14. The transverse member 21 is adjustably secured to the foot member 16 by bolts 22 provided with wingv nuts 23 by means of which the canvas may be.

stretched to the desired tension.

The edge portions of thecanvas adjacent to the head portion where the greatest weight of the occupants is supported is pro.

vided with flaps 24 which pass around the sidegmembers l0 and 11 and are sewed to the said canvas substantially as shown.

Extending lengthwise along the under side of the canvas 17 inthe medial-plane of the bed is a cable 25 which is secured to the head member 15 and the foot member 16 in such manner that when the canvas is stretched for occupancy the said cable will have sufiicient tension to prevent the said canvas from sagging n the middle thereby suitably adapting the bed foroccupancy by two persons. 7

The outer ends of the head member 15 and foot member. 16 areprovided with. clown-- wardly disposed plates 26 having slots 27 7 formed in their lower end portions. The said plates fit snugly'within grooves'28 provided in the upper end portions of legs 29 and 30, and the slots 27 fitover bolts 31 which are transversely. secured through the outer ends of the head member 15. and foot member 16.

The two sides of the bed at the'location of the hinges 12 areprovided with a trans verse supporting member comprising a cross bar 34 having legs 35 functionally securedthereto by plates 36 having slots 37 therein which fit. over bolts 38 in the same manner previously described for the head and foot members.

The cross bar 84 is disposed far enough below the canvas 17 so as not to come in contact with same when it is sagged by the weight of, the occupants of the bed, blocks 39 being secured to the outer and upper end portions of the said bar 34. Thesaid blocks are provided with shoulders 40 which hold the side members in spaced relation and with dowels 41 which fit within holes in the side members 10 and 11.

The legs 29, 30 and 35 are braced against longitudinal movement of the bed by braces 42 formed of heavy wire. The lower ends 3 of the said braces are bent at right angles and pivotally secured through the said legs while the upper ends are likewise bent at right angles and adapted to fit within sockets 43 provided in the side members 10, 11, 13 and 14:.

The said braces 42 being sufiiciently resilient to thereby insure that the upper ends of the said braces will be positively retained in their associated sockets 43 when the bed is erected. V

The said legs are further braced against transverse movement by spring braces 14: made of heavy spring wire and having hooks 45 bent in their'outer ends for engagement with bent staples l6 secured in the said legs. The inner ends of the said braces 45 are bent at right angles as at 47 and driven into the head and foot members 15 and 16 and into the cross bar 3a and are further secured thereto by staples a8 located adjacent to the said inner ends.

In dis-assembling the bed the head and foot members 15 and 16 are detached leav ing the legs 29 and 30, the canvas 17 together with the wire 18, transverse member 21 and fastenings attached thereto. The

side members are slipped out of the flaps- 24 and swung together at their hinged connections. The transverse supporting memberis then detached leaving the legs atmembers forming the second and third parts, and the transverse supporting mem-' ber constituting the fourth part.

These four parts are all of substantially the same length when their constituent members are folded together and are in convenient form to be placed together'and secured in one compact package andcar 'ied on the running board of an automobile.

The simplicity, rigidity, durability and constructive economy of this bed will be obvious. r

l "t' tl .1 10m tie ioicgoing uesciip 1011 aren in connection with the accompanylng drawrugs, the advantages of the constructlon and of the method of operation of my portable folding bedwill be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention.

relates but while I have described the drin- 1 ciple or operation of the invention, together with the structure which I now consider to" be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to i have it understood that the structure shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made when desired as are withi the scope of the invention.

l/Vhat I'claim is:

A folding bed frame comprising two side frame members each formed of two parts pivotally connected by hinges located on the upper sides thereof, a transverse supporting member located under the abutting ends of. thesaid side frame members, the said transverse supporting member comprising a cross bar, blocks secured to the upper end portions of the said cross bar having shoulders there in adapted to receive and hold the said side members in spaced apart relation, dowels in the saidshoulders adapted vto register with holes in the said side members, ahead and a foot member each located-at the op posite ends of the said side membersylegs for supporting the said head, foot and trans verse supporting members having grooves in the upper ends thereof, the outer ends of the said head, footand transverse supporting, members be ng provided with downwardly disposed tongues having open ended slots in their lower end portions, the said tongues adapted to fit within the said grooves of the said legs,'thesaid slots in the said tongues adapted to functionally enbolts secured transversely of the said grooves through the upper end portions of the said legs, and'thc outer ends of the said side members having tongues adapted to fit within grooves provided within the outer end portions of the said head and foot members and to abut against the said tongues of the said head and foot members."

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 15th 1920.

CHARLES D. MCDONALD.

day of October, A. D. 

